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My Natural Hair Journey

In three months it’ll be two years since I went natural and I honestly can’t believe it. There was a lot of back and forth on my end before finally deciding to embrace this journey. I was so worried about what I was going to do with my hair once I stopped relaxing it or that my hair would be “nappy”. I really didn’t want to let the creamy crack go but nearly two years in, I can tell you guys I’m so happy I did! I have no desire to ever relax my hair again.

Pre Big Chop

My hair was natural until I was in 5th grade. I lived with my dad at the time and my former stepmom didn’t really know how to tame my tresses so she took me to get a relaxer. She did this without my mom’s permission of course. My hair was never really the same after that day but I got relaxers regularly from that point on. It was my senior year in high school when I noticed that my hair kind of stopped growing. In the pictures above, my hair would not grow past that length and it was really thin. I hated it so much. I even started stretching my relaxers out to like every 6-8 months but I still didn’t see much growth so that’s when I started toying with the idea of going natural.

Transitioning

Transitioning was a pain in the ass. I knew when starting the process I wanted to grow my roots out for at least 1 year. I transitioned for 1 year and like a month. It felt like the longest year of my life! I don’t know how I got through that year but I thank God for the resilience. I mostly kept my hair in a protective style (there’s a special place in heaven for my stylist Chatney). But if it wasn’t in braids, I resorted to wearing it in crown braids, a braid out, or slicked back into a fake ponytail. It was a mess honestly. The longer my roots got the harder it became for me to detangle my hair. I was trying to prolong the process but I knew it was time for me to cut the relaxed hair off.

Post Big Chop

My boyfriend was the one that actually encouraged me to just chop it off. I was so scared because I didn’t think I had enough hair but I took some shears one day and just started cutting. It was the most invigorating thing ever. I was so fed up with the two different textures on my head by this point. Luckily, I had a hair appointment the day after I cut all the relaxed ends off my hair. I got my hair crocheted and kept it in for about a month and a half. The first picture above was my hair after taking the crochet braids down. I went to a professional to get my ends trimmed and she did my first ever wash and go.

My Hair Now

These are the most recent pictures I have of my fro. I typically keep my hair braided majority of the time but there are times when I take breaks in between. My hair is so healthy now and most importantly it’s growing. I always complain about it being so short but after gathering the pictures for this post I can definitely see the growth. Going natural was the best decision I ever made for my hair. If you’re someone that’s toying with the idea of going natural, DO IT!

Yes, it’s probably going to take you out of your comfort zone but the results are worth it. We get so caught up in textures and length (I can admit I was like that in the beginning) but I no longer care because I know my hair is beautiful and it’s healthy. But don’t get me wrong, being natural doesn’t make you better than someone with relaxed hair. Regardless of if you’re natural or not I hope you love your hair because, at the end of the day, it’s yours.

I’ve been natural for 8 years and I still remember how that transition phase was not fun. Especially with the straight relaxed hair at the ends that didn’t look good at all with the natural hair at the roots. And just like you I’m so glad I went natural because my hair is growing so much better than when it was relaxed!

Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for reading. The transition phase was such a trying time in my life because I wanted to quit so bad. Once those two textures start fighting it’s a wrap, you might as well cut it off. So glad to be done with that phase.

Transitioning as of now. Trying to hang in there. I will say, I don’t miss chemical burns. Which is why I transitioned in the first place. As I’ve gotten older my scalp has become more sensitive and chemical burns have gotten worse. Although transitioning is very challenging, it is also very rewarding. Looking forward to letting these straight ends go soon.